


A Birthday Surprise

by Writers_clock



Series: Signed in Crimson: A Collection of Julethief One-Shots [1]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, F/F, Fluff, Found Family, Love Confessions, Player is the ultimate wingman and no one can change my mind, Shopping, Surprise Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_clock/pseuds/Writers_clock
Summary: Julia, on vacation in San Diego, stumbles into the planning of Carmen’s first ever birthday party.(Requests open)
Relationships: Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Series: Signed in Crimson: A Collection of Julethief One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131176
Comments: 18
Kudos: 181





	A Birthday Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a sucker for Julethief okay don’t judge me. Requests are open

“Carm needs a birthday party!” The voice was loud, probably louder than intended. Julia couldn’t help but swing her head around the aisle at her local grocery store to see who was speaking. “Carm” was an awfully familiar nickname….

“Shut it, will you?” Another voice snapped. “Tell the whole world, why don’t cha?” Julia peered around the corner to see that she  _ did,  _ in fact, know the two that were arguing. It was Zack and Ivy, who Julia knew for a fact worked with Carmen. So the “Carm” they were discussing was definitely the one and only Carmen Sandiego.

Zack crossed his arms. “I’m makin’ a point here…. hey, is that Jules?” He whipped his head towards her. Julia almost considered making a quick escape, but the twins were on her before she could take a step. “It is!”

“Do you know my actual name?” Julia questioned, crossing her arms. They were certainly nosy, studying her closely. Both of them were much taller than her, but seemed harmless. 

_ “Isn’t it Jules?”  _ Zack whispered to Ivy. Julia cocked a brow.  _ Does he think that I can’t hear him?  _ She wondered. Ivy smacked him over the head.

“She’s right there!” She huffed, but then paused.  _ “Wait, it isn’t?”  _ She looked Julia up and down. Julia nearly sighed.

“You may call me Julia.” It wasn’t like being called Jules bothered her - it was quite the opposite, actually. But she liked the idea that only Carmen called her that. No particular  _ reason,  _ of course, it was just nice. “I don’t work for ACME anymore, if you guys are worried.”

“Oh, not at all. Boss trusts you,” Zack said, waving her off. “Hey, do you think you could help us out?”

“It’s for Carmen,” Ivy put in. 

“We’d really appreciate it!” Zack added.

They both stared at her expectantly for a few moments. Julia kept looking back and forth between them. How did Carmen handle these two constantly? “Uhm… sure?” They grinned at the same time, almost eerily so.

“So,” Ivy started, glancing at Zack, “Carm doesn’t actually know when her birthday is, and has never celebrated it. So  _ we  _ figured that we’d throw her a giant party to make up for all that!” They both flashed her a thumbs up. “Shadowsan said he’d keep Carmen distracted so that we could plan!”

“Only… we don’t really know what to do,” Zack admitted. “We mostly just celebrated each other’s birthdays.” He and Ivy looked pretty hopeless. Julia couldn’t help but sympathize. And she  _ was  _ on vacation after winning free plane tickets...

“I suppose I can help you plan,” Julia relented. “Have you guys done… anything?” They stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then glanced at each other.

“I ordered a cake!” Zack offered.

“I picked out a bunch of stuff!” Ivy added. She held up her bag of items. Julia peered inside, and stifled another sigh. It was evident that they were trying, and that they cared about Carmen, but… 

“Perhaps a corner grocer is not the best place to do your shopping?” Julia suggested. They glanced at each other, then back at her. How...  _ in sync _ they were was almost frightening. “How about we go to the strip mall a couple blocks down?” She hesitated. “I can drive.”

“Cool! Let’s go,” Ivy cheered. Julia glanced between them for a final time before leading them out of the store. They followed a bit behind, whispering among themselves. Julia almost felt like she had suddenly been placed in charge of two children. 

“Do you mind telling me how old you two are?” Julia asked as she unlocked her car. “Are you minors? Under twenty one?”

Ivy hesitated, but Zack answered readily. “I’m eighteen, and she’s nineteen.” Julia exhaled with relief. At least they were old enough to make somewhat informed decisions. 

“How old are you?” Ivy asked, shoving Zack out of the way so that she could slide into the passenger seat.

“Twenty four.”

“Carm’s turning twenty one,” Zack chimed in. “Well… we think.” He slid into the seat behind Ivy. Julia kind of nodded to herself. She had figured, but it was nice to get confirmation. 

Julia jumped a little when she heard a phone ringing. She glanced to see that Ivy had an incoming call. “It’s Shadowsan!” She hissed. Julia did her best not to eavesdrop, but it was difficult.

_ “Where are you?”  _ Julia didn’t think she had met Shadowsan, but he sounded… older. Perhaps in his forties.  _ “Carmen is out looking for you.” _

“We’re with her  _ good friend _ Julia!” Ivy chimed in. Julia narrowed her eyes at the way she emphasized “good friend”. It seemed a little…. strange. “She’s helping us prepare for… the surprise!”

Shadowsan sighed.  _ “I will try to keep her distracted. Don’t forget to thank Ms. Argent.”  _ Julia blinked in surprise. It seemed rather strange to her that they all trusted her without question. She had talked with Carmen multiple times, but had never had a genuine conversation with the others. He hung up, and Ivy nodded to herself, as if thinking.

“If Carmen finds you, we never saw you and you’re throwing a party for your… Niece!” Ivy told Julia.

“I don’t have a niece,” Julia said, frowning.

“Best friend?”

“I’m on vacation here; I don’t know anyone.”

“Travel partner?”

“None.” Julia sighed. She did  _ not  _ appreciate Ivy’s pitying stare. “I’ll come up with something. You two buy some gift bags, balloons, and your own personal gifts.” She pulled into the parking lot and pointed at a store. “That should have the supplies. I’ll get some other things, and then we can meet back here in two hours. Sound good?”

Ivy checked her phone again, and huffed. “Slight change of plans… you gotta distract Carm. Shadowsan’s takin’ over party prep.” She looked back up at Julia. “Sound good?”

“I… alright,” Julia agreed, frowning. Wasn’t the entire point her helping them set up the party?

“You’re the best, J!” Zack said, giving her a big thumbs up as he hopped out of the car.  _ Is that his nickname for me? I suppose it’s only one syllable, much like Carmen’s nickname.  _ Julia was somewhat pleased. She pulled herself out of the car, locking it as Ivy got out.

“We appreciate it, J,” Ivy agreed. She stuck out her hand, and Julia shook it. “Seeya!” She waved, dragging Zack away. Julia swallowed. They were sure an odd pair. She opened her hand to see that Ivy had dropped comms in them. Hesitantly, she put them in her ear.

“Hello?” She asked tentatively, pressing the button.

_ “You must be Julia,” _ a voice noted. This one was young, perhaps high school age?  _ “Nice to finally meet you.” _

Julia began walking towards the strip mall. “I could say it was mutual if I knew who you were.” This entire scenario was somewhat… strange. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but something seemed off.

_ “You can call me Player. Ivy said you were helping them plan the party for Red. I need you to pick up something for me to give to Red, but I wanted it to be a surprise for the whole team,”  _ Player said confidently. Julia shook her head as she walked through the parking lot. 

“I… I suppose,” she stammered. “This is all rather… strange. I didn’t see Ivy talking to anyone other than Shadowsan on the phone.” Indeed, their actions didn’t add up. Slowly, it dawned on her. “Was this planned?” Though Julia wasn’t exactly sure why, she was now fairly certain that the twins had meant for her to overhear them, acting like it was an accidental encounter. “There was a reason I won those tickets, wasn’t there?”

_ “Red speaks highly of you, but she shoud’ve warned me how perceptive you are,”  _ Player grumbled. Julia’s cheeks blushed pink.  _ Carmen talks about me?  _ She wondered.  _ “Yes, fine. Red kept wondering if you were okay, and we know she’s never had a birthday party before, so we figured that we’d invite you to one.” _

“In a rather backhanded way,” Julia noted. 

_ “Did you really expect anything different?” _

“No,” she admitted. “Go on. What did you want me to buy?” She checked her phone to see that Player had, in fact, added money to her account.

_ “They’re t-shirts. I ordered them ahead of time, but you’ll have to pick them up,”  _ Player explained.  _ “It’s two stores to your left. Tell them it’s a pickup from Ms. Penelope Blue, and show them the email I’m forwarding you now.” _

“This is a rather strange way of picking up t-shirt’s,” Julia noted. She picked them up, and as per Player’s request, didn’t look too closely at them. “I did that, now what?”

_ “Shadowsan is to your right. Tall man, grouchy looking. You might recognize him as an ex-VILE operative. Give him the bag,”  _ Player instructed. Julia internally sighed. This was quite the process.

Julia  _ did  _ in fact recognize Shadowsan. He studied her every movement, much like Zack and Ivy did. His gaze, however, was far more critical. Almost as if he was assessing her. She held up the bag. “I was told to give this to you,” Julia told him. She refused to allow her voice to waver at the sight of such an intimidating man.

Shadowsan studied her closely. “Thank you, Ms. Argent,” he said gruffly. He took a couple steps into the crowd and disappeared before Julia could say anything else. Rather strange for a first impression, but who was she to judge?

_ “Red’s coming your way,”  _ Player said in her ear.  _ “Distract her until about five, then get her to the docks.” _

“When am I going to have time to get Carmen her present?” Julia asked.

Player ignored that.  _ “Put your comms away before Red sees you! I’ll handle everything else. Later!” _

Julia quickly removed the comms and stuffed them in her pocket. Player sure accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. She looked around, and her eyes settled on Carmen, who had noticed her and was making a beeline.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Carmen greeted. Not that Julia noticed, but… Carmen looked  _ amazing  _ in casual wear. “It’s great to see you again, Jules.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Julia replied honestly, smiling. Despite the shenanigans she had been pulled into by Carmen’s crew, seeing the woman herself made all of Julia’s worries disappear. 

“What  _ are  _ you doing here anyway?” Carmen asked. “I wouldn’t want to keep you, but there’s a great boba place here.” 

Julia beamed. “I’d love to. I’m just doing some shopping, on a break from my new job.”

Carmen nodded. The back of her hand barely brushed Julia’s as she moved past her, guesturing for Julia to follow. “I saw your blog,” Carmen remarked. “Way to follow your heart.”

“You… remembered?” 

“Of course. How could I forget?” She gave Julia a heartwarming smile. What Julia wouldn’t give to see that smile every day. She shook herself.  _ Quit thinking about how pretty Carmen is!  _ “Though it  _ is  _ a little sad that I haven’t seen you much since you quit.” There was a question in Carmen’s words, a question she didn’t ask. It hung in the air, and Julia swallowed, wondering if she should answer it.

“Guess my heart wasn’t in it anymore,” Julia said at last. “Being an agent was fun and all, but…”

“But they didn’t listen to your intuition, gave you crappy partners, and kept trying to arrest me?” Carmen guessed. Julia flushed at how easily she had been read. Carmen chuckled. “I pay attention, Jules.”

“I wouldn’t call them  _ crappy _ , but you pretty much nailed it,” Julia admitted. Internally, she knew that the reasoning far simpler: she didn’t have it in her to continue chasing Carmen. Not when she felt the way that she did. She swallowed. “I never did get the chance to thank you for those roses. Or return the coat and hat.”

“Keep them,” Carmen told her, a twinkle in her eye. “They looked good on you.” Julia tried to say something, but her words got caught in her throat. Luckily, they had arrived at the boba place. The two got their drinks and sat down at a bench nearby.

“This is… almost surprisingly good,” Julia said in awe. “How’d you find this place?”

Carmen shrugged. “I stumbled upon it one day.” She looked amused at the speed in which Julia drank. “I didn’t know you liked boba so much.”

“What’s not to like?” Julia wondered. “I… hang on, how did you know?” Carmen’s tone was a little  _ too  _ innocent. Carmen’s brows raised, and Julia couldn’t tell if she was surprised or impressed. Perhaps both. “You do pay close attention, hmm?”

“You  _ are  _ perceptive,” Carmen chuckled. “Fine, I saw that you had a package for tapioca pearls when I was dropping off the goods. It didn’t take much to put two and two together.” She shifted in the bench, getting slightly closer to Julia. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there. Julia breifly wondered if it was intentional. If it was, perhaps Carmen meant for Julia to notice. The thought made her cheeks hot. “Besides, you  _ are  _ my favorite ex-ACME agent.”

“I don’t suppose I have a lot of competition,” Julia pointed out. If Carmen was going for tiny movements, she could do the same. She casually laid her arm down on the top of the bench, her hand hanging off the edge. It wouldn’t take much for her to reach out and brush Carmen’s shoulders.

“True,” Carmen agreed. She shifted slightly again, so that she was facing Julia a little bit more. Either Julia was crazy, reading into signals that weren’t there… or Carmen had confirmed  _ yes, I am trying to move closer to you, and I know you were trying to move closer to me.  _ It was a very fine line for them to tread. Carmen leaned a little bit closer and added, “You were almost my favorite back when you were in ACME.”

The thought made her warm, but Julia said, “As the only one who didn’t try to arrest you every time we spoke?” She leaned a little bit closer. “That’s a rather low bar.”

Carmen threw her hands up. “What more can I say?” She tapped her chin a couple times before grinning. “I know! You’re… my favorite.” She pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell the others.” Julia opened her mouth, but no words came out.  _ Favorite? In general? Out of everyone?!  _ Carmen smiled again, bemused. “Satisfied now?”

Julia swallowed. “I suppose.” Carmen barked out a laugh, and before either of them knew it, they were sitting side by side, knees touching. In the thrill of the moment, she added, “Is that why you left me roses?” She almost regretted the words, but refused to.

Carmen didn’t answer. “Do you know the Greek myth of how red roses were created?” Julia shook her head. “As you can probably guess, it has something to do with Aphrodite.”

_ Greek goddess of love,  _ Julia thought to herself. She nodded again, and Carmen continued.

“She fell in love with a mortal man named Adonis,” Carmen explained. Julia couldn’t help but stare - Carmen was so beautiful when she was passionate - but forced herself to focus on the story. “He was a hunter. Going out into the woods, killing wild animals and all that. Doing… dangerous activities. One day, however, he was killed by a wild boar. The tales vary from here; some say that the boar was Aries, attacking out of jealousy. Others say that it was Zeus, who wanted to teach her a lesson. However, he died all the same. Upon discovering her lover, Aphrodite’s tears mixed with his blood, causing roses to bloom.” She frowned. “Well, in another version she pricked herself on rose bushes, thus turning them all red. I’m pretty sure there was one about how they sprung directly from his corpse.” She shrugged. 

“Is there a reason that you’re telling me this?” Julia asked.

“Want to try and figure it out?” Carmen countered, smirking.

“I’m assuming this has something to do with the fact that you never answered my question?” Julia suggested. Carmen crossed her arms. “Would you like me to try and figure out this metaphor?”

“I spent a lot of time planning. The least you could do is indulge me,” Carmen pointed out. 

Julia furrowed her brow, concentrating. “Well, it’s well known that red roses are associated with love. Aphrodite being the cause of red roses almost proves it. However, her lover died.” She tilted her head, then took a deep breath. Hopefully her assumption was correct. “And you gave me red roses.”

“That I did.”

“A universal symbol for… romance.” She released her breath when Carmen nodded.

“Indeed.” Carmen bit back a smile.

“With the addition of the story…” Julia hesitated. “You’re… most likely referring to yourself as Adonis?”

“And if I am?” A challenge. A _ say what you’re going to say.  _ But it was more than that. It was words of support, letting Julia know she was on the right track.

“Then you’re saying that you like me, but you do dangerous things,” Julia said slowly. “You’re… saying you could get hurt.”

“Your analysis is one of the things I like most about you,” Carmen noted. “And the metaphor is correct.” She laced her fingers together in her lap and stared at them. “I do like you, and I’m… not exactly girlfriend material.” It was so rare that Julia saw the insecurities hidden deep within Carmen. How much she truly cared.

“What if I don’t care?” Julia blurted. She took several deep breaths. “I… really like you too. And… I don’t want to stop you from… from doing what you do. I would help you… do what you do.” She tapped her fingers nervously. “It’s… one of the things I like most about you.” She swallowed. “I… would want to try being with you. If you wanted to be with me, too.”

Carmen, having had her insecurities soothed, smiled. “I would like nothing more,” she replied smoothly, pressing a kiss to Julia’s cheek. 

  
  


“So… why did you drag me all the way out to the docks of San Diego?” Carmen questioned.

“I’m still asking that question myself,” Julia admitted. She looked around for members of Carmen’s crew, but saw no one. “I just thought… it’d be a good idea.” She kept her eye on the horizon, waiting the ocean. Carmen came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Julia’s waist. Julia leaned back into the touch, until her head rest against Carmen’s shoulder. “I never really realize how much taller you are than me.”

“You’re tiny,” Carmen noted. Julia elbowed her and she laughed. “It’s true.”

“Carmen,” a voice said from behind them. Carmen and Julia both turned to see Shadowsan, looking… mildly uncomfortable. Julia couldn’t quite tell. He nodded at Carmen. “I am assuming you would like to formally introduce Ms. Argent to the team.”

“Julia works fine,” Julia said quickly. She paused. “Formally introduce me?”

“They’ve all met Jules before,” Carmen pointed out. “Granted, you  _ have  _ never really been introduced…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Alright. Be prepared for a  _ lot  _ of teasing, though,” Carmen warned. Shadowsan gestured for the two of them to follow him.

“Where are we going?” Julia asked.

“To our base,” Carmen grinned. “You’re officially joining Team Red! Well, finding out where our headquarters are, but same thing.” Julia’s heart could’ve burst. Her hand found its way to Carmen’s, and she laced their fingers together.

Shadowsan entered first. Carmen paused at the enterance. “They’re great people… after you get used to them.” Julia almost laughed.  _ I know. _

As soon as Carmen opened the door, confetti burst over her head. “Surprise!” Player, Ivy, Zack, and Shadowsan all shouted. Carmen’s eyes widened. The place  _ did  _ look really nice: balloons, streamers, and decorations were everywhere. 

“You were in on this,” Carmen accused jokingly. 

Julia threw her hands up. “They roped me into this.” The group (minus Player, who was making his appearance on a tablet) pulled Carmen into a hug.

“We figured, you’ve never had a birthday before! So why not one now?” Ivy pulled back to grab her present, while the group kindly ignored the tears Carmen was wiping away. “Open mine first!”

Ivy got her a box of chocolates and several tiny cacti. Zack got her a Polaroid camera. Shadowsan got her a pair of sunglasses and a knife. Carmen smiled more and more with every present, until finally it was Player’s turn.

Shadowsan got back out the bag and revealed a set of t-shirts. The t-shirts (which Player designed himself) had a globe with the words “Where In The World” inscribed on it in the front. The back had “Team Red” with individual names.

Julia nearly joined in on the crying when she was passed her own.

“How long were you planning this?” Carmen asked Player after everyone changed into their t-shirts.

He glanced at Shadowsan. “A pretty long time.”

“And getting Jules?”

Player laughed at that. “I was getting tired of you talking about how much you missed her.” Carmen tossed wrapping paper at the screen. “What? My plan worked, didn’t it? I can see that lovey-dovey sapphic stare from here.”

Shadowsan cleared his throat, and for a moment Julia thought she’d been saved from the embarassment she knew was coming. However, he looked directly at her. “You’ll have to introduce me to your parents,” he said.

Zack and Ivy stared at Carmen and Julia. Ivy shoved Zack. “You owe me twenty bucks!”

“What?” Carmen demanded. “You were betting on this?”

Ivy laughed as Zack begrudgingly handed the money over. “And rightfully so! You’re so obvious, Carm.”

“You’re all terrible,” she informed them, but laced her fingers through Julia’s.

Julia smiled, feeling (for the first in a long time) at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think!


End file.
